Please help....

[Nursehev35]

I just don’t know what in the world is going on with my chickens. I just lost my 4th one today, my rooster. So here is my story... I bought 4 buff Orpington from mypetchicken.com and I bought 4 lavender Ameraucanas from a local guy (they are about 5 weeks older than my Orpington). It started with an ameraucauna, we thought she broke her leg because she was lying on the floor of the cage on her leg joint. She died a couple of days later. Then one of our Orpingtons was looking sick so we isolated her too and she died a couple of days later. The last Orpington looked ruffled, and slow with her head retracted (she looked kinda sleepy) so we isolated her and she too died a day or two later. We noticed a lot of green diarrhea so I decided to treat the rest with Corrid in case it is coccidiosis. So they seemed like they were doing well and today I went out and noticed my rooster didn’t come out. He was lying in a corner. I pulled him out and his neck rolled around and he basically died in my arms. I noticed some yellowish diarrhea on his tail feathers. He was absolutely fine yesterday, running around the coop and eating and drinking. So what in the world?? I just don’t seem to have any luck with chickens. Our last batch from our old house had mareks and we lost them all.
Incidentally I ran out of food yesterday so to hold them over I gave them some fruit and vegetables and some stale bread.
Thank you in advance to anyone who can help me sort out this puzzle. I am so sad and disheartened right now.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

Gonna tag some experts: @casportpony @WVduckchick @aart @Pyxis @lazy gardener @21hens-incharge

 

[Nursehev35]

Thank you!

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I am so sorry for your losses . I lost a lavender silkie pullet this summer. She was fine one day, but the next day I found her on the floor of my coop. She died in my arms. I hope that your remaining chickens will be fine.

 

[azygous]

I'm so sorry about all this heartache. If you had Marek's before, you still have it. The virus lives in the soil and facilities for years in spite of attempts to clean and disinfect.

Knowing you've had Marek's in the past, your wisest course of action should be to have all new chicks vaccinated at hatch, wait a few weeks until the immunity takes hold, then move them into your coop. Strict bio-security needs to be observed during the immunity-acquiring period or the vaccination can be undone. This means changing shoes, clothes, washing hands after visiting the facilities outdoors.

If you are in doubt that Marek's is killing this current chicks, you need to retain a dead chick and send it to a lab for a necropsy.

 

[Nursehev35]

I'm so sorry about all this heartache. If you had Marek's before, you still have it. The virus lives in the soil and facilities for years in spite of attempts to clean and disinfect.

Knowing you've had Marek's in the past, your wisest course of action should be to have all new chicks vaccinated at hatch, wait a few weeks until the immunity takes hold, then move them into your coop. Strict bio-security needs to be observed during the immunity-acquiring period or the vaccination can be undone. This means changing shoes, clothes, washing hands after visiting the facilities outdoors.

If you are in doubt that Marek's is killing this current chicks, you need to retain a dead chick and send it to a lab for a necropsy.

The mareks was at our old property about 3-4 years ago. Everything we have now is new. Thank you for the advice on the vaccine. I will get the vaccine if I get anymore.

 

[Nursehev35]

I am so sorry for your losses . I lost a lavender silkie pullet this summer. She was fine one day, but the next day I found her on the floor of my coop. She died in my arms. I hope that your remaining chickens will be fine.

Thank you.

 

[chickens really]

That's too bad ... Chickens carry many diseases that transfer and without a necropsy its undetermined what actual disease your dealing with...
Once you get more Chicks, have a closed flock, meaning do not introduce others...Really the only way to try to prevent disease transfer...

 

[casportpony]

The mareks was at our old property about 3-4 years ago. Everything we have now is new. Thank you for the advice on the vaccine. I will get the vaccine if I get anymore.

Sorry for your losses.

To lose so many to Marek's in such a short period of time seems unlikely, so it's probably not that.

I strongly suggest that you send one for necropsy or try to do your own necropsy.

 

[21hens-incharge]

There is no mention of age of birds. I only see that some are 5 weeks older then others. Also helpful would be knowing which group you got first and how long you have had the second group. If quarantine was observed would also be nice to know.

I also think a necropsy is in order.